CSC Calls for choosing secure and save electronic donation methods

As part of the weekly awareness campaign of the "Cyber Pulse" initiative launched by the Cyber Security Council (CSC), the Council, in its weekly awareness message on cyber risks, called for the adoption of secure payment methods. This comes as the holy month of Ramadan approaches, a period during which many individuals tend to donate funds. The Council emphasized that secure payment methods protect both individuals and entities from falling victim to fraudulent activities in cyberspace. It noted that verifying the use of secure payment methods during electronic financial transactions contributes to reducing cyberattacks targeting financial data and various fraudulent schemes aimed at stealing assets belonging to individuals, companies, or institutions. The Council urged individuals to exercise caution when dealing with any donation channels and to ensure that they are secure and protected payment methods.

CSC further confirmed that secure payment methods reduce fraudulent activities by 25%, significantly lowering the risk of becoming victims of theft, electronic fraud, and identity theft. The weekly awareness campaign highlighted that 79% of organizations were victims of payment fraud attacks or attempted fraud in 2024, underscoring the necessity and importance of constant vigilance and caution when conducting any financial transactions in cyberspace to prevent fraudulent attacks targeting financial and banking data.

The weekly awareness message also warned against the risks associated with unsecured electronic payment mechanisms, including data breaches, Unauthorized access of personal information, credit card fraud, and fake refund schemes. In addition, it pointed to the potential presence of insecure payment systems linked to unknown or unverified service providers, noting that such unsecured methods may also enable certain entities to evade compliance with approved standards and regulations.

The Council stressed the importance of individuals modifying their behaviors when handling financial data in cyberspace, particularly the need to consistently verify and ensure the use of secure payment methods. It also advised against storing or saving financial data or information on electronic devices, whether mobile phones or personal Laptops or computers, and regularly monitoring bank accounts. Furthermore, it cautioned against engaging with fake advertisements or unauthorized individuals operating outside the framework of banks or trusted institutions, and stressed the need to verify messages and confirm their authenticity, especially in light of fraudsters’ use of advanced technologies to target individuals by imitating the logos of banks or trusted financial entities to lure users and steal their financial and banking information.

In its weekly awareness message, CSC called on individuals and companies to use secure technologies when making donations through various electronic payment methods, including encryption, which converts sensitive and critical data into unreadable codes. It also highlighted the importance of enabling dual or multi-factor authentication to verify digital identities through multiple steps. In addition to encryption and multi-factor authentication, the Council urged the use of data tokenization and fraud prevention systems to detect suspicious activities and prevent or reduce fraudulent transactions.

The Council’s weekly awareness message emphasized the necessity of regular and continuous review of privacy settings on various personal devices, as well as periodically deleting untrusted applications, updating software and operating systems on a regular basis, and turning these practices into consistent daily behaviors. Such measures contribute to protecting individuals and institutions, particularly in light of rapid and successive technological developments that, while offering numerous benefits, also carry multiple risks and threats.

The Council considered cyber safety in cyberspace to be a major challenge, noting that these preventive measures and sound practices complement government efforts to address current digital challenges associated with rapid digital advancements. In this context, the Cyber Pulse awareness campaign, launched by the Cyber Security Council for the second consecutive year across social media platforms, supports the UAE’s ongoing efforts to build a secure cyberspace that protects users from growing digital risks, keeps pace with rapid technological developments within a comprehensive national vision, enhances trust in the country’s digital ecosystem, promotes a culture of cybersecurity, raises digital awareness among families and individuals, and strengthens cybersecurity practices to ensure the safety and privacy of citizens and residents in the era of accelerated digital transformation.